a quantitative study on the relationship between efl ...

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Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods (MJLTM) ISSN: 2252 - 6204

A QUANTITATIVE STUDY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EFL UNIVERSITY STUDENT’S EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND MOTIVATION Seyyedeh Mitra Niroomand Department of English, Abadeh Islamic Azad University, Fars, Iran [email protected] Fatemeh Behjat Department of English, Abadeh Islamic Azad University, Fars, Iran [email protected] Mohammad Rostampour Department of English, Abadeh Islamic Azad University, Fars, Iran [email protected] Abstract The present study aimed at investigating the possible relationship between emotional intelligence and motivation among the Iranian EFL learners. To fulfill the purpose of the study, a number of university seniors majoring in English Language Teaching were selected as the participants. The investigation was done through a test and a questionnaire. The test was the Schutte Self-report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) (Schutte et al., 1998), and the questionnaire was the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) (Pintrich, et al., 1991). The data were analyzed both descriptively and inferentially. To check the correlation, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was run. The findings of this study revealed that there was a positive and significant relationship between emotional intelligence and motivation (r= 0.74). Besides, it was found that all components of motivation had positive and significant correlation with all the subscales of emotional intelligence. That is, those who are more emotionally intelligent and motivated can produce positive emotions in their own and others to ask their questions and expand their knowledge. Key words: Emotional intelligence, Motivation, SSEIT, MSLQ 1. Introduction In today’s world, most people are eager to learn a language other than their mother tongue, especially in foreign language settings. Learner’s disposition to learn ha s always been recognized as crucial for second or foreign language development. It is characterized by affective factors, the most important of which are attitude and motivation. For several decades, motivation has been a central subject of the theoretical

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studies and empirical research in second or foreign language learning. Tremblay and Gardner (1995) see motivation in terms of effort, attention and persistence whereas Van Lier, 1996 based on work by Vygotsky (1962, 1986) and Keller (1983), lists intentionality, affect, and effort as related to motivation. Ford (1992) also has identified three motivational factors which are personal goals, emotional arousal processes, and personal beliefs which direct, energize, and regulate goal-directed activity. Moreover, Ryan and Deci, (2000) classified motivation in two types: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation refers to doing something because it is inherently interesting or enjoyable, and extrinsic motivation refers to doing something because it leads to a separable outcome. In the past decade or so, since the focus was on rational and cognitive aspects, and that little emphasis is given to the important contributions of an emotional mind (Epstein, 1998; Nelson & Low, 2003), many researchers focused on a different dimension of intelligence called Emotional Intelligence (EI). Since emotional intelligence is emerging as a critical factor in high performance in educational courses especially in academic contexts, educators and professors are using EI tools to create positive results and meet pressing educational needs. Likewise, it may emerge as a strong predictor of who will be most successful because it is how we handle ourselves that determines how well we do once we are in a given situation. Since the affective domain plays a large role in developing second or foreign language skills than does the cognitive domain, the present study sought to explore any relationship between emotional intelligence and motivation, and also finding out the relationship between the different components of emotional intelligence and motivation of EFL students studying at university. Emotional intelligence Goleman (1998), introduced the term Emotional Intelligence (EI) as "the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationship" (p. 317). Moreover, he stated that "emotional intelligence consists of knowing what you are feeling, recognizing what others are feeling, managing the feelings in relationships, and using your feelings to motivate yourself--even in the face of frustrations" (Goleman, 1995, p. 43). Motivation The concept of motivation is a multi-faceted construct involving effort (motivational intensity), cognition (desire), affect (attitude), and goal. As cited in Ghanea, Zeraatpisheh, Ghanea (2011), motivation is as that which moves or includes a person to act in a certain way; a desire, fear, reason, etc. which influences a person’s volition, also often applied to a result or object, which is desired. Gardner (1985) defined it as “… the combination of effort plus desire to achieve the goal of learning the language plus favorable attitudes toward learning the language” (p. 10). 2. Literature Review In order to investigate the roles of the student, the teacher and the language researcher in understanding motivation to learn another language, Gardner (2001) highlighted the socio-educational model of second language acquisition.


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Some researchers investigated the role of emotional intelligence on listening, speaking, reading, writing, and communicative skills. Ghaffari (2008), for example, found a significant correlation between emotional intelligence and Iranian EFL learners’ English speaking skill. Miri (2009) stated that there was no significant relationship between emotional intelligence and listening comprehension ability. Pishghadam (2009) studied the role of emotional intelligence in second language learning. He stated that total EQ and its subscales were found to be poor predictors of second language learning. Skourdi and Rahimi (2010) compared two models of emotional intelligence based upon the ideas proposed in Salovey and Mayer (1990), and Saklofske, Austin, and Miniski (2003) to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence, linguistic intelligence, and vocabulary learning, especially receptive breadth of vocabulary, among EFL learners. The correlational analysis revealed that there was an interesting pattern of significant relationship between emotional intelligence and first language, between emotional intelligence and vocabulary knowledge and between first language and vocabulary knowledge. Moreover, emotional intelligence was found to be a potential predictor for first language acquisition. Moreover, in terms of emotional intelligence and educational achievement, Lotfikashani, Lotfiazimi, and Vaziri (2012) found that there was no significant relationship between emotional intelligence and the students’ end-of-the-term and diploma degree. Thus, it could not be a reliable predictor of educational achievement. However, there was a significant relationship between diploma and university degrees. Thus, academic success was significantly correlated to IQ; hence, it could be a reliable predictor of educational achievement. In order to determine whether emotional intelligence strategy had any effect on EFL learners’ writing performance ability, Abdolrezapour (2013) conducted an experimental research. She considered 44 intermediate female learners between the ages of 13 to 18 randomly assigned to two groups from a private language institute. To make sure of the initial comparability of the two groups, they had a writing test, and the TEIQUE-ASF was administered prior to the experiment. The results indicated that the experimental group made some improvement in their writing performance. However, the control group showed no improvement in their post-tests. Moreover, the results were evidence to the fact that introducing emotional intelligence strategy had a considerable effect on learners’ writing performance. The discussion addressed school systems to seek out and utilize principles with levels of emotional intelligence for students in EFL classrooms in an effort to promote increased performance. 3. Research Questions and Hypotheses To fulfill the purpose of this study, the following questions are raised: 1. Is there any significant relationship between emotional intelligence and motivation of students majoring in English? 2. Is there any profound relationship between Iranian EFL students' motivation subscales and emotional intelligence? Regarding the research questions of the study, the following null hypotheses were posed:


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HO1: There is no relationship between emotional intelligence and motivation of students majoring in English. HO2: There is not any relationship between Iranian EFL students' motivation subscales and emotional intelligence. 4. Method 4.1 Participants The participants in this study were 59 senior males and females, majoring in English Teaching at Islamic Azad University, Shiraz Branch. They were 44 female and 15 male participants ranged from 21 to 29 years of age. The test and questionnaire were administrated to the students at the end of their class time. The data were collected in two sessions. In order to motivate the participants to take the test and the questionnaire seriously, the objectives of the study were explained to the participants, and to avoid misunderstanding, all the instructions were given in both English and Persian. 4.2 Instruments First, the Schutte Self- report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) was administered. They were asked to show the extent to which they agreed with the statements by checking one of the five responses in the answer sheet. The responses to this questionnaire ranged from strongly agree to strongly disagree. In the second session, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) was used. In order to complete the SSEIT and MSLQ, there was no time restriction. 4.3. Data Analyses & Results In the following part, having reported and presented the findings of the study, the researchers discuss the results and answer the research questions. Q1. Is there any significant relationship between emotional intelligence and motivation of students majoring in English? The first objective of the study was to examine the relationship between the EFL students’ emotional intelligence and motivation. In order to analyze the data, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to obtain descriptive (mean, Standard Deviation) and inferential (Correlation, Pearson Product Correlation) analyses. Therefore, both descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The Schutte Self-report Emotional intelligence Test (SSEIT) consisted of 33 items; items 5, 28, and 33(Gignac, Palmer, Manocha, & Stough, 2005) which were negatively stated in the test were reversed. After that, all the items in were added up to find the participants’ total scores on Emotional Intelligence Test and Motivated Strat egies for Learning Questionnaire. Then, the sum of different items relating to different components of emotional intelligence (PE, MES. MOE, and UE) and motivation (Intrinsic Goal Orientation, Extrinsic Goal Orientation, Task Value, Control of Learning Beliefs (CLB), Self-Efficacy for Learning & Performance (SELP), Test Anxiety) were calculated; hence, the scores of each component of EI and motivation were divided by the number of their relevant items. As such, in order to figure out if there was any relationship between the independent variable, emotional intelligence, and also the dependent variable, motivation, the correlation coefficient was calculated. Table 4.1


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demonstrates the descriptive results of the emotional intelligence test, Motivated Strategies for Learning questionnaire as well as all their subscales, used in this study. Table 4.1 Descriptive Statistics on Components of Emotional Intelligence and Motivation N Min Max Mean SD Perception of Emotions (PE) 59 2.1 4.5 3.264 .647 Managing Emotions in the Self (MES) 59 2.2 4.8 3.527 .666 Managing Other’s Emotions (MOE) 59 2.12 4.62 3.469 .672 Utilizing Emotions (UE) 59 2.16 5.00 3.606 .818 Emotional Intelligence Total 59 8.98 19.83 13.969 2.643 Intrinsic Goal Orientation 59 2.00 5.00 3.605 .788 Extrinsic Goal Orientation 59 2.25 5.00 3.830 .817 Task Value 59 1.66 5.00 3.553 .863 Control of Learning Beliefs 59 1.00 5.00 3.483 .910 Self-Efficacy for Learning& Performance 59 2.00 5.00 3.584 .730 Test Anxiety 59 1.00 4.80 2.827 .820 Motivation Total 59 14.75 28.45 20.849 3.217 As Table 4.1 illustrates, the mean of students’ emotional intelligence scores is 13.96 and the standard deviation is 2.64. Also, the students’ mean score of motivation test is 3.21. Furthermore, among all the components of emotional intelligence, “utilizing emotions” has received the highest mean, and among all the components of motivation, “extrinsic goal orientation” has received the highest mean. Then, the correlational analysis between total emotional intelligence and motivation was also run. The results are shown in Table 4.2. Table 4.2 Correlation between Total EI and Total Motivation Motivation Total Emotional intelligence Total Pearson Correlation 0.74** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 59 ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level According to Table 4.2, Pearson product-moment correlation was employed to examine whether there was any significant correlation between total emotional intelligence and motivation. As the findings revealed, there was a high positive correlation between total EI and total motivation at the 0.01 level (r= 0.74). Therefore, it was found that motivation had positive and significant correlation with emotional intelligence. It means that motivation and emotional intelligence are related to each other, and students who can make use of both of them can achieve better learning objectives. Thus, the first hypothesis, stating that there was not a significant and meaningful relationship between motivation and emotional intelligence of Iranian students majoring in English, was rejected.


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Q2. Is there any profound relationship between Iranian EFL students' motivation subscales and emotional intelligence? To answer the second research question, the relationship between motivation and emotional intelligence subscales were computed through Pearson product-moment formula as well. The findings of the correlation analysis were indicated in table 4.3. Table 4.3 Correlations among Different Components of Emotional Intelligence and Motivation Intrinsic Extrinsic Task CLB SELP Test Goal Goal Value Anxiety Orientation Orientation PE

Pearson.569** Correlation .000 Sig. (2-tailed) 59 N MES Pearson.491** Correlation .000 Sig. (2-tailed) 59 N MOE Pearson.567** Correlation .000 Sig. (2-tailed) 59 N UE Pearson.636** Correlation .000 Sig. (2-tailed) 59 N **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level

.371** .004 59

.473** .000 59

.605** .000 59

.380** .000 59

.147 .268 59

.269* .039 59

.628** .000 59

.626** .000 59

.412** .001 59

.135 .307 59

.406** .001 59

.533** .000 59

.659** .000 59

.459** .000 59

.206 .118 59

.387** .002 59

.501** .000 59

.631** .000 59

.409** .001 59

.072 .590 59

level

*Correlation is significant at the 0.05

According to Table 4.3, the most significant findings of the correlation analysis are as follows: 1) Significant correlations were found between Intrinsic Goal Orientation and Perception of Emotions (PE) (0.56), Managing Emotions in the Self (MES) (0.49), Managing Others’ Emotions (MOE) (0.56), also Utilizing Emotions (UE) (0.63) at the 0.01 level. 2) Extrinsic Goal Orientation was found to be significantly though moderately correlated with Perception of Emotions (PE) (0.37), Managing Others’ Emotions (MOE) (0.40), Utilizing Emotions (UE) (0.38) as well at the 0.01 level. Also, there existed a low correlation between Extrinsic Goal Orientation and Managing Emotions in the Self (MES) (0.26) which was significant at the 0.05 level.


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3) Moderate correlations were found between Task Value and Perception of Emotions (PE) (0.47), Managing Emotions in the Self (MES) (0.62), Managing Others’ Emotions (MOE) (0.53), also Utilizing Emotions (UE) (0.50) at the level of 0.01 was statistically significant. 4) Slightly higher and moderate correlations were found between Control of Learning Beliefs (CLB) and Perception of Emotions (PE) (0.60), Managing Emotions in the Self (MES) (0.62), Managing Others’ Emotions (MOE) (0.65), as well as Utilizing Emotions (UE) (0.63) at the 0.01 level. 5) Self-Efficacy for Learning and Performance (SELP) were observed to be significantly correlated with Perception of Emotions (PE) (0.38), Managing Emotions in the Self (MES) (0.41), Managing Others’ Emotions (MOE) (0.45), and Utilizing Emotions (UE) (0.40) at the level of 0.01 was statistically significant. 6) Test Anxiety was discovered to be weakly correlated with Perception of Emotions (PE) (0.14), Managing Emotions in the Self (MES) (0.13), Managing Others’ Emotions (MOE) (0.20), Utilizing Emotions (UE) (0.07), though. Therefore, it was found that all components of motivation had positive and significant correlations with the all subscales of emotional intelligence. Thus, the results rejected the second null hypothesis of the study that there was no profound relationship between Iranian EFL students’ emotional intelligence and motivation subscales. 4.4. Discussion This study intended to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and motivation among the Iranian EFL learners at Shiraz Azad University, Shiraz, Iran. It was hypothesized that emotional intelligence and motivation had no relationship to each other. Generally, what the results of the study showed was that EFL students’ emotional intelligence and motivation play significant and determining role in expanding their language knowledge. As such, in case of emotional intelligence and language learning in general, the findings of this study support those of Aki (2006), who found that language learning is a concept that depends upon both the learner and the instructor when it comes to human psychology and interpersonal communication. According to Aki (2006), “what is important in language learning is not high intelligence values; rather, it is being emotionally intelligent or at best, having the ability to recognize, employ, c omprehend and manage emotions” (p. 66). These results are in conflict with what was reported by Vali-Mohammadi and Bagheri (2011). They reported that there was no significant relationship between emotional intelligence and motivation. Furthermore, Pishghadam (2009) stated that total EQ and its subscales were found to be poor predictors of second language learning. 5. Conclusion Based on the results obtained in this study, one can conclude that there is a significant relationship between EFL students' emotional intelligence and motivation. This implies that students with greater emotional intelligence and motivation have greater power of learning language. Specifically speaking, a profound relationship between EFL students' emotional intelligence and motivation was observed, which indicates that those who are more


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emotionally intelligent and motivated can produce positive emotions in their own and others to ask their questions and expand their knowledge. In addition, among all components of motivation, it was the Control of Learning Beliefs (CLB) which had the highest contribution. This may be due to the fact that those students, who have a greater control over themselves and their learning, benefit from a higher degree of motivation. They can easily motivate themselves to learn new materials. Besides, those students with a greater ability of managing their emotions have greater power of learning. Acknowledgment Our sincere appreciation goes to Dr. Abdollah Keshavarzi, Shiraz Azad University Professor, for allocating a part of his class time for data collection. Reference Abdolrezapour, P. (2013). The relationship between emotional intelligence and EFL learners’ writing performance. Journal of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 70, 331-339. Aki, Ö. (2006). Is emotional intelligence or mental intelligence more important in language learning? Journal of Applied Sciences, 6(1), 66-70. Epstein, S. (1998). Constructive thinking: The key to emotional intelligence. New York: Praeger. Ford, M.E. (1992). Motivating humans: Goals, emotions, and personal agency beliefs. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Gardner, R.C. (1985). Social psychology and language learning: The role of attitudes and motivation. London: Edward Arnold. Gardner, R.C. (2001). Language learning motivation: The student, the teacher, and the researcher. Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education, 7, 1-18. Ghaffari, M. (2008). Emotional intelligence and Iranian EFL learners’ speaking skill. M.A. thesis, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran. Ghanea, M., Zeraatpisheh, H.R, & Ghanea, M.H. (2011). The relationship between learners’ motivation and English proficiency among Iranian EFL learners. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, 59, 458-464. Gignac, G. E., Palmer, B. R., Manocha, R., & Stough, C. (2005). An examination of the factor structure of the Schutte self-report emotional intelligence (SSREI) scale via confirmatory factor analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 39(6), 1029-1042. Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. New York: Bantam Books. Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books. Keller, J.M. (1983). Motivational design of instruction. In C. Reigeluth (Ed.). Instructional design theories and models. Hillsdale, NJ: L. Erlbaum. Lotfikashani, F., Lotfiazimi, A., & Vaziri, Sh. (2012). Relationship between emotional intelligence and educational achievement. Journal of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 69, 1270-1275. Miri, M. (2009). On the relationship between emotional intelligence and foreign language classroom anxiety in the area of listening comprehension. M.A. Thesis, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran.


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